Sheet-metal fabric



Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

UNITED STAT-ES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY O. DAVIDSON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE HYDRAULIC PRESSED STEEL COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

SHEET-METAL FABRIC.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

Application filed March 17, 1919. Serial No. 283,039.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY O. DAVIDSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sheet-Metal Fabrics, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates generally to sheet metal fabrics and more particularly to expanded metal fabrics in which a reinforcing rib is employed; and the object of my invention is to provide a fabric consisting of a series of expanded portions and a series of unexpanded portions, the unexpanded portions being ribbed; and the inventionconsists also in the novel manner of connecting or uniting the expanded and unexpanded portions of metal to provide a composite reinforced and ribbed fabric.

The invention consists also in certain details of construction hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this invention Figure 1 is a detail perspective View showing a strip of the unexpanded metal; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a strip of expanded metal; Fig.3 is a detail perspective view showing the expanded and unexpanded portions in course of connection; andFig. 4 is a detail perspective View showing these parts permanently connected together and providing a sheet metal fabric composed of flat expanded portions and ribbed unexpanded portions.

In carrying out my invention I provide a strip of expanded metal A, the marginal edges B thereof being plain or unslitted. These ed esB are rolled over as indicated at B in Fig. 3 in order to interlock with the rolled back edges of the unexpanded ribs C, these ribs being shaped in any suitable manner and provided with laterally extending marginal flanges C" which are rolled back as shown in Fig. 3 and adapted to be engaged by the rolled over edges or unexpanded margins of the expanded metal strips A and after these rolled over portions B and C have been interlocked they are rolled down into a flat seam, as shown at D in Fig. 4:, thereby providing a permanentconnection between the edges of the expanded metal and the unexpanded rib and the outer flanges D are also pressed fiat in order to provide a uniform fabric.

The expanded sheet with the unexpanded marginal edges can be constructed or produced in any suitable manner and as before stated the unexpanded rib portions can be fabricated according to any method or pr0cess; and then, after the separate portions have been thus provided, they are shaped for interlocking engagement and then finally connected together so as to produce, as a whole, a ribbed-fabric consisting of a plurality of unexpanded rib portions with intervening expanded metal portions all permanently interlocked together, and a sheet metal fabric constructed as herein shown and described can be used in exactly the same manner as a sheet metal fabric made in one piece and embodying in its manufacture a series of unexpanded rib portions with intervening expanded metal portions,

By connecting the expanded and unexpanded portions in the manner shown, greater rigidity will be provided inasmuch as double thicknesses of interlocked unexpandedmetal will be provided along all its seams. In this respect the composite fabric will possess advantages over'a sheet made from one piece and furthermore can be fabricated cheaper. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A sheet metal fabric comprising a plurality of units each unit consisting of expanded metal and unexpanded marginal portions, and unexpanded sheet metal ribs, said unexpanded marginal portions being locked to the edges of said ribs.

2. A sheet metal fabric comprising a plurality of expanded metal portions having unex anded marginal edges, and sheet metalribs aving laterally extending marginal portions, the unexpended marginal edges and the laterally projecting edges of the ribs being locked together.

3. A sheet metal fabric comprising a plurality of sheet metal ribs having oppositely disposed laterally projecting marginal portions and a plurality of sheets the main por tion of each sheet being expanded, the marginal edges of said sheets being unexpanded, said marginal unexpanded edges and laterally projecting portions of the ribs being 5 locked together.

4. A sheet metal fabric comprising a plurality of .unexpanded rib portions and a plurality of expanded metal portions having unexpanded marginal edges, said marginal edges being connected in folded and locked 10 engagement with the ed es of the said ribs. In testimony whereof hereunto afiix my signature.

HARRY O. DAVIDSON. 

